1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to swivel vises in the manufacturing industry and, more particularly, to a multi-positional swivel vise having a support plate mounted to the floor, four telescoping legs, a shoulder section which supports the ball joint having a crown, ball and gripping ring, an attachment plate that securely attaches to the desired object and is mounted atop the ball via the use of a shaft that is inserted into the ball, a hydraulic jack that elevates the ball into the gripping ring in the desired orientation, and an actuating device that controls the hydraulic jack.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous types of vises found in the prior art which are designed for use in many different situations. The standard type of vise is one in which a pair of jaws are moved towards or away from each other to releasably secure an object therebetween. However, to reposition the object in the vise, one must release the jaws and reset the object, which is time-consuming and may not be practical depending on the object being supported.
For this reason, adjustable vises were developed which permitted the repositioning of the object without releasing the vise jaws. Some of these vises included ball joints and swivels that permitted the positioning of the object in many different orientations. However, the sophisticated nature of the securement systems of these vises often resulted in an actual increase in the amount of time spent adjusting the positioning of the object.
There is therefore a need for a vise which will permit repositioning of the object supported thereon without requiring a major expenditure of time and effort, yet one which will safely support the object in the desired position.
Many ball joint-type vises include clamping mechanisms for preventing rotation and movement of the ball, but these clamping mechanisms are dependent on the strength, of the operator to tighten the clamping mechanism sufficiently to prevent movement of the ball. This is particularly evident when a heavy object is being supported on the vise, and what often occurs is that the vise xe2x80x9cslipsxe2x80x9d and the object must be repositioned. There is therefore a need for a ball joint-type vise which does not rely on the strength of the operator to secure the supported object in a particular orientation.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved multi-directional swivel vise for supporting objects in a particular work orientation.
Another objective of the present invention to provide a multi-directional swivel vise which includes a base structure on which is rotatably supported a vise ball, a crown positioned above the vise ball, and a jack device for elevating the vise ball into frictional contact with the crown to releasably secure the vise ball in a particular orientation.
Another objective is to provide a multi-directional swivel vise which is capable of supporting large heavy objects thereon.
Another objective is to provide a multi-directional swivel vise in which the orientation of the supported object may be quickly and easily changed.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-directional swivel vise which is relatively simple to manufacture and which is safe and durable in use.
The present invention provides a multi-position swivel vise which includes a base structure and a generally spherical vise ball movably and rotatably supported on the base structure. A crown is mounted on the base structure above the vise ball, and a jack device such as an hydraulic jack is mounted on the base structure below the vise ball, the jack device operative to elevate the vise ball into a contact position in contact with the crown such that the vise ball is releasably immobilized via frictional contact with the crown.
The multi-position swivel vise thus described clearly offers several advantages over those devices found in the prior art. The relatively simple design and easy use characteristics of the present invention permit the user to quickly mount objects on the vise and move them into desired position for work thereon. Also, because the vise ball is moved upwards into contact with the crown to secure the vise ball in a chosen position, there is less likelihood of slippage of the ball due to the multiple frictional contact points, thus permitting the use of the present invention with even large heavy objects. Furthermore, because the vise ball and jack are the only moving elements of the invention, there is much less likelihood of the invention breaking down and becoming non-functional. The present invention thus provides a substantial improvement over those vises found in the prior art.